CHUCK IN A BOX

I still don’t get that people think separate but equal is okay.  Saw a story on the local news that ‘Same-Sex Parters are to get Federal Benefits‘ but in reading the story, you see that they still do not get the same benefits that their heterosexual co-workers, colleagues, etc. get.  Why is that?  Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a WONDERFUL step forward for LGBT Rights but, what would/could be the logic behind:

the partners would still not have access to primary health insurance or to pensions.

Soooo after you bust your ass for them for 30 plus years, make it to retirement, enjoy that for a while and pass on, your surviving spouse – That’s right…SPOUSE – is not eligible to benefit from your pension.  Fine then take away that benefit for married, heterosexual Federal employees if it is not such a big deal.  Betcha that ain’t gonna happen.

I do agree with the Obama administration in that the LGBT community needs to chill the f%^$ out a little bit and give the man a chance to do what he can.  We’re sounding no better than those pesky neo-cons who are giving him a raft of shit for not being able to fix in 6 months what Dubya screwed up in 8 YEARS.

Oh yeah and the “poll” on the WTVR site saying 60% thing same-sex benefits for federal employees is a bad idea and only 30% think it is okay…why am I not surprised?  I DO live in the state Commonwealth of Bubbas.

I, honestly, do not see why so many in the LGBT community are up in arms over Obama having Rev. Rick Warren give the invocation at the inauguration ceremony.  I agree there were probably better choices – more moderate (in my view) but, Obama is EVERYONE’S President.  I think sometimes my LGBT family forgets that this means he represents everyone – right wing, left wing, liberal, conservative, etc.  I think he Obama were to exclude people because he/we didn’t agree with 100% of what they said then he/we would be just as guilty of intolerance as those people that we fight against.  Not to mention that he has Rev. Joseph Lowery, a gay friendly pastor, giving the benediction at the inauguration ceremony so it all works out….Obama is doing what he said he would do, he’s reaching out to EVERYONE which I, frankly, appreciate.  

I really liked what James Hipps said about it:

When it comes to trying to understand those who oppose us, it can be very difficult.  But I have a method which often works for me.  I call it the “beach ball theory”.  If I am standing in front of a giant beach ball, and you are standing opposite of me, then perhaps I see the ball to be blue and yellow, and you see the ball to be green and red.  Now we can argue back and forth all day that the ball is blue and yellow, and green and red, and we can stand up for what we know is right (after all, from my side the ball is blue and yellow).  However, its not until we are able to work together and turn that ball around, that we can start to see the other colors and start to understand that if it wasn’t for all four colors, that is wouldn’t be a ball at all.  Sometimes we get so caught up in knowing we’re right, we forget to take into consideration that two halves make a whole.

Now, not to say that my side of the ball won’t always be blue and yellow, and your side may always be red and green, but as long as we can see the whole, there won’t be anything to argue about.  OK, Your side is red and green, my side is blue and yellow.

Heck – I’m sure  SOMEWHERE there is some atheist group all up in arms because there is even an invocation or benediction.  Again, that saying proves true, “You can please all of the people some of the time; some of the people all of the time but, you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”  I think, because I would never try to speak for every LGBT person, that if we as a community expect heterosexuals to be a bit more tolerant of us, then we need to practice what we preach.  You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to believe it and a groups opinions should not affect the rights of others but, we should respect their right to believe that way.  I don’t know…something about ‘catching more flies with honey than vinegar’ or something like that.